This is my favorite creamy mashed sweet potatoes recipe with spicy chipotle, perfect for the holiday table or for anyone who loves sweet potatoes.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes Recipe with Chipotle
The holidays are coming up quickly, my friends, and that means family gatherings, friendly parties, and all sorts of happy get togethers that typically include wonderful meals.
This time of year, you'll find all sorts of seasonal ingredients on the menu. One of them is sweet potatoes.
You can find sweet potatoes in grocery stores most of the year, but their peak season is October through December, where you'll find them much more common.
The holidays demand sweet potatoes for their natural sweetness, which so many people love.
The Best Mashed Sweet Potatoes - and Why We Love Them So Much
Sweet potatoes are starchy root vegetables valued for their carrot-like flavor. They may look similar to regular potatoes on the outside, but inside is an orange-colored flesh that differs in flavor and nutrition.
As the name suggests, sweet potatoes are slightly sweet, which is typically emphasized in many recipes with maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar.
While I do enjoy their sweetness personally, I enjoy pairing them with other, more savory, flavors, as you will see.
One of my favorite ways is to mash them with chipotles in adobo sauce and a few other seasonings, quite different from regular mashed potatoes. The result is a rich, creamy, savory dish that better compliments the holiday dinner.
So delicious. It's a great flavor combination.
Let's talk about how to make mashed sweet potatoes, shall we?
Ingredients Needed to Make Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- 2 large sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3.5 ounces chipotles in adobo (1/2 a can – save the rest)
- 2-4 tablespoons crema or sour cream (depending on how creamy you want them)
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
How to Make Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Chipotle - the Recipe Method
Peel and Chop the Sweet Potatoes. First, peel the potatoes and rinse them, then chop them into small cubes.
Boil the Sweet Potatoes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a teaspoon of salt. Add the peeled sweet potatoes and boil until the potatoes are fork tender, about 15-20 minutes.
You should be able to easily pierce them with a fork after 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes.
Combine the Ingredients. Add the cooked sweet potatoes to a large bowl and add the crema or sour cream (or milk), butter and salt, chipotles in adobo, garlic powder, and pepper to taste.
Get Mashing or Mixing. Mash the mixture with a potato masher or large fork to mash the potatoes, or use a hand mixer for smooth and creamy mashed potatoes.
You can also use a food processor. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve them up! Looks wonderful, doesn't it? Easy mashed sweet potatoes! airtight container in the refrigerator Mouthwatering! SO good with the chipotle flavor. Chipotles pretty much rule.
That's it, my friends! I hope you enjoy my creamy mashed sweet potatoes recipe with chipotle. Just the right touch of spiciness.
Serve it up for your next holiday meal. I hope everyone loves it! Enjoy.
Boom! Done! Pretty easy to make, right? Easy is great! It's such a great recipe, the perfect holiday side dish, or basically for anyone who loves sweet potatoes with a bit of a spin. I like the spicy spin!
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Scale It Up. You can very easily double or even triple the amounts of ingredients here to make a larger batch, for a holiday gathering, perhaps. Or just because you're hungry!
- Chipotles. You can also easily adjust up or down the amount of chipotles in adobe you're using. I used 3.5 ounces in this recipe, which is half a can of what you can normally find in the store. However, you can use the whole can for a more pronounced chipotle flavor.
- Creaminess. I used Mexican crema in my recipe, but you can also use sour cream, yogurt, quark, heavy cream or milk. Adjust to your own preferred creaminess level.
- Sweet It Up. If you're looking for a more traditional mashed sweet potato recipe, use the exact same method above, but replace the chipotle with sweeter elements, like brown sugar, maple syrup, or honey. I'll keep the chipotle, thank you!
Storage & Leftovers
Store any leftover mashed sweet potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can easily reheat them on the stovetop in a pot with a little bit of water, or in the microwave.
You can also freeze them for 3 months or longer.
That's it, my friends! I hope you enjoy my chipotle mashed sweet potatoes recipe! Serve it up alongside the holiday turkey or a nice glazed ham. It's such a great side dish.
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
- Scalloped Potatoes
- Sausage Stuffing
- Cornbread Dressing
- Dirty Rice
- Cajun Red Beans and Rice
- Hoppin’ John
- Cajun Corn Maque Choux
- Jalapeno Popper Twice Baked Potatoes
- Papas con Chile – Cheese Tex-Mex Mashed Potatoes
- Spicy Deviled Eggs with Bacon and Jalapeno
- Baked Turkey Wings Recipe
Serve it alongside my Chipotle-Honey Baked Ham recipe! Or Hot Honey Glazed Ham. Perfect pairing!
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes Recipe with Chipotle
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes about 2 pounds
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3.5 ounces chipotles in adobo 1/2 a can – save the rest
- 2-4 tablespoons crema or sour cream depending on how creamy you want them
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel and rinse the sweet potatoes, then chop them into small cubes.
- Set them into a pot and cover them with water. Add a teaspoon of salt. Boil the sweet potatoes until they are fork tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.
- Add the sweet potatoes to a large bowl and add the butter, chipotles in adobo, crema or sour cream, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Mash the mixture with a potato masher or large fork to mash the potatoes, or use a hand mixer for smoother mashed potatoes.
- Serve!
Notes
I like to drizzle mine with a bit of olive oil and spicy chili flakes.
Heat Factor: Medium. You’ll get some good zing from the chipotles in adobo. For milder mashed sweet potatoes, cut the chipotles in adobo in half. For spicier, incorporate a spicy chili powder to the mix, like cayenne pepper.
You can easily double this recipe by doubling all of the ingredients.
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 11/10/21 to include new information. It was originally published on 11/11/19.
S. Jones says
Fantastic! This is also great with winter squash (my garden was VERY productive this year!) , cut in half and pressure cooked. I usually use greek yogurt instead of sour cream, as I always have it on hand. Thanks for the great recipe!
Mike Hultquist says
Great!!! Glad you enjoyed it!
Jean says
An excellent spin on sweet potatoes! Tasty and spicy what is not to enjoy?!!
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Jean!
Cathlynn Groh says
Seriously good.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Cathlynn!
Suzanne Parrish says
Hi Mike, can you make the day before and bake the next day? Trying to get everything cooked then heated up for our family Thanksgiving. Great recipe. Can't wait to fix it! Thanks, Suzanne
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
You surely can, Suzanne! Keep it covered in the refrigerator. You might need to add a touch of oil over the top to keep it moist, but should work great. Enjoy!
ChefHass72 says
I make a slightly different version of this recipe. After several years of making Sweet Potato Mash, I found you have to cut the sweet potatoes with Yukon gold, about 60/40 ratio. Reason being is that sweet potatoes have a lot of moisture in it and when you’re making this banquet or family style, it’s too creamy. I love the chipotle peppers in it. Spice and sweet is the perfect pairing.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Very nice!!
Candie says
Oh my gosh, these are great. I've been eyeing this recipe for over a month, and I made it today.
I did make some changes. I had about 3 lbs sweet potatoes that I peeled, cut into cubes and yes, put in the microwave. I mashed those when they were done, then added 3 tablespoons butter. The entire can of chipotles fell in, so, I added enough Greek yogurt to make it creamy and hopefully cut down on the heat. I omitted the garlic since I'm not a fan. I drizzled it with Greek olive oil and some sharp cheddar cheese. This was great, HOT but the kind of heat you can used to. I am making this again!!! Thank you Michael!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent, Candie! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Chipotles and sweet potatoes are a GREAT combination. I love it.
charles graham says
Ok, This looks good, I make something like it only I steam the spuds in a pressure cooker and use regular chilli powder. Your dish would be better I think. A guy in China rides a bicycle to work is 108? and all he eats is sweet potatoes.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Charles. Yours sounds great as well. Your story is inspiring me to eat more sweet potatoes!
Hofterzielbeek says
Wow! Seems so delicious and yummy. Thank you so much for sharing such a great recipe!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks so much!